Network management apparatus and network management method

• US 20040059811A1
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Koizumi, Minoru, Sugauchi, Kiminori, Yamazaki, Michio
• Granted Patent: US 7,216,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique suitable for configuration management of a network for which the number of logical network layers can be set. A network management apparatus 10 receives an address definition information file defining logical hierarchical structure of an IPv6 network 20, from an operator through a definition information reception unit 103. A configuration analysis unit 104 generates management tables defining hierarchical relationships of logical networks, based on the address definition information file and IP addresses collected respectively by an information collection unit 102 from network elements belonging to the IPv6 network 20, and registers the management tables into a management DB unit 101.

Claims

1. A network management apparatus for managing a network configuration, comprising:

a collection means for collecting addresses assigned respectively to network elements belonging to a managed network, from said network elements,

an acquisition means for acquiring address definition information that defines logical hierarchical structure of the managed network,

a configuration analysis means for classifying the address of the network elements collected by said collection means into logical networks in each of logical layers of the managed network specified by the address definition information acquired by said acquisition means, and for defining hierarchical relationships between the logical networks, and

a monitoring screen generation means for generating information of a network monitoring screen for each logical network representing a network configuration in a layer just under the logical network in question, according to the hierarchical relationships of said logical network defined by said configuration analysis means.

2. The network management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said collection means collects element information including an address, connection relationships and element type of the network element in question, from each network element belonging to the managed network,

said configuration analysis means defines relay nodes included in each logical network classified by said address definition information according to the element information collected by said collection means from each network element, and defines connection relationships between said relay nodes, and

said monitoring screen generation means generates information of a network monitoring screen for each logical network by using symbols representing logical networks (referred to as lower-side logical networks) included in the logical network in question and belong to a layer just under the logical network in question, symbols representing relay nodes included in the logical network in question, and symbols representing connections between the lower-side logical networks and the relay nodes, in order to display said network monitoring screen that represents the network configuration.

3. The network management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said configuration analysis means divides a logical network including at least two lower-side logical networks that are positioned probably at different locations, according to said locations, and defines hierarchical relationships of said lower-side logical networks.

4. The network management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said configuration analysis means judges it possible that said lower-side logical networks are respectively positioned at different locations from one another, when in a certain logical layer, a plurality of relay nodes connected with a same logical network exists and in a lower layer just under said logical network, said plurality of relay nodes are defined as relay nodes connected respectively to lower-side logical networks included in said logical network.

5. The network management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said monitoring screen generation means displays a network configuration according to the information of a network monitoring screen, and

when an operator selects a symbol representing a lower-side logical network included in the network configuration on display, said monitoring screen generation means displays a network configuration on a display unit, according to the information of a network monitoring screen representing a network configuration of said lower-side logical network.

6. The network management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

when said monitoring screen generation means receives an instruction from an operator to display an upper layer, said monitoring screen generation means specifies a logical network (referred to as an upper-side logical network) including a logical network whose network configuration is currently displayed and one layer upper than said logical network, and displays a network configuration of said upper-side logical network on the display unit, according to information on a network monitoring screen representing said network configuration of said upper-side logical network.

7. A program for implementing a network management apparatus, wherein said program is read and executed by a computer to implement following means on said computer, namely:

a collection means for collecting addresses assigned respectively to network elements belonging to an object network managed from said network elements,

an acquisition means for acquiring address definition information that defines logical hierarchical structure of the managed network,

a configuration analysis means for classifying the addresses of the network elements collected by said collection means into logical networks in each of the logical layers of the managed networks specified by the address definition information acquired by said acquisition means, and for defining define hierarchical relationships between the logical networks, and

a monitoring screen generation means for generating information of a network monitoring screen for each logical network representing a network configuration in a layer unit just under the logical network in question, according to the hierarchical relationships of said logical network defined by said configuration analysis means.

8. A network management method for managing a network configuration, comprising steps of:

collecting addresses assigned respectively to network elements belonging to a managed network, from said network elements;

acquiring address definition information defining logical hierarchical structure of the managed network;

classifying the collected addresses of the network elements into logical networks in each of the logical layers of the managed networks specified by said address definition information acquired, and defining hierarchical relationships between the logical networks; and

generating information on a network monitoring screen for each logical network representing a network configuration in a layer just under the logical network in question, according to the above-defined hierarchical relationships of said logical network.